Train-pipe coupling.



A. L. LNDH.

TRAIN PIPE GOUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1910.

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w r o A E N u merrain srirrns Parnu-tr 'ron ALBERT L. Liann, or realm, rinitis"ririzaiiIn, or4 omarmen 'ro HARRY Warns, or Inwru, PENN-ammalata.

9639.599 l pecication of Letterslatent. y Patentdd" 5, 1910. ,eppiicauon mee February `25, i910. seriaiNo. 545,930.

Be known that I, ALBERT L. LiNDir, a resident of Irwin, in the county of Westiiioreland and'State of Pennsylvania, have inventrl eertainknew and useful improve` ments in Train-Pipe Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

One object of this invention is to provide the brake and other train pipes with coup'- ling heads of improved'construction which effect a positive vand sure connection autovl.-.fmaticai1y when'hrou' ht together upon the ifi coupling of two oars, t e pipes being brought into accurate register and providing a seal y at the joint.

For einhralce 4equipment each train pipe ovided adjacent` its end With a valve -.eh is normally open so that the brakes may set when the cars separate, or in the event.- of the train pipe being broken at the coupling or other point. "It is frequently desired to close these valves, for instance when shifting the cars, so that the airliralre will lnot be operative at such time.

lt is therefore a further object of this invention to provide valve mechanism of iinproved construction; also to so construct a coupling that it will automatically open the valves when the coupling is made after the valves are closed, and by this means making the air-brake equipment effective as soon as tl'ieears are coupled. If the valves are open before the cars are brought' together, the valve operating means is simply inactive during the coupling operation.

Still a further object is to provide im# proved means for locking the valves in open position.

ie a :c in. 'ai .`i ure 1 ln tl l o'i in ing di vings, l*

is a sectional plan of the improvements showing two train pipes equi )pcd with and coupled by the coupling hea s of novel design, at the right hand of the figure the valve mechanism being shown in section, and at the loft hand in top plan. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of. the. structures shown in Fig. i. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of tlie coupling heads, and Fig. 4 an end'. elevation. llig. 5 is a cross-section on line 5 5- of Fig. 1, illustrating the locking inechanf ism..

Referring to the drawings, 2 are the outer portions of the train pipes, having flexible or hose connections 8 with the main train pipes, not shown. Each of pipes 2 is movable longitudinally supports 4 secured in any suitable ifilinlier lto the ear, with springs e pipes normally extended and the lcoupling isfmade. y

At the'outeriend of each pipe 2 is a head 6, 'the hereof which forms a continuation' ofthe iipe, andat the extremity of the bore is a ru bei' face or Vgasket 7 which seals the joint when' the two heads are brought to'- gether, as in Fig. 1. Projecting forwardly from one sideof each head is the guiding arm 8, which preferably extends atan angle to the axis of pipe 2, with its oblique inner face 8 engaging the other head as the two heads come together, placing vthe saine into exact register. With a. guiding arn'i on each ofthe heads and at opposite sides of the coupling, and each arm in Vposition to direct or guide the other head, anl accurate coupling is-always assured. And with said arms 8 deflected outwardly or laterally considerable range is 'afforded for lining up the couplinglieads even ifv they are materi ally out of line before coming together. At the base of each arm 8 the head is formed with longitudinal backwardly extending passage 9, and at the side of each head opposite arm 8 is the forwardly extending prong 10 which is brought into register with passage 9. of the other head by vengaging face 8 of arm 8, and passes through said passage asthe coupling is effected, and operates the valve opening means, as will' presently be .air-brake equipment, it is desirable to pros -vide each train -pipe with a valve which may he closed so as-to render the brake apparatus inoperative.during vthe'switching of ears, etc., which valves are normally open, or -at least open when the cars are coupled. And

itis further desirable that these valves beV opened Whenever the pipes are coupled, and

a characteristic of the lpresent invention 'is that. if they are closed prior to the cars being coupled they 'are opened automatically by the coupling operation.

A The valve 'structure for each pipe consists` of the valve body or shell 11, and 12 is the is seated by spring 13, closing the train pipe. In the present embodiment, valve stem 14 is connected to one arm of hell-crank 15 fulcrumed to support 16 rigid with the valve checlnvalve proper which when free to move body, andl with rthe other arm of the bellcrank connected'to the forwardly extendin rod 17, which may move in guide 18 secure to pipe 2 rearwardly from head 6 and in line with head-passage 9. 'The forward extremity of the rod may be provided with the cup-like enlargement 19 to lreceive the ex? tremity of rong 10, being moved backwa-rdly there y` and operatin to o en the valve when the vcoupling is ma e. O course ifI the valve is open at such time, rod 17 is in backward or inward position and isnot reached by prong 10 until the coupling is fully niar e.` For 4holding the-valve open,.

the'wei'gh't d latch 20 is pivoted -to support 16, with( upper extremity 21 ofthe atch moved by theiweight into the lpath ofthe' bell-crank'wh'enever the latter i`s in outward position" with the valve open, as in Fig. 1. Thevalve is thus locked in open position and 'canfbe closedonly by lifting the weighted latch 20, and thereb 4depressingits upper 'extremity 21. The atch may -be thus1 op- I erated byjvarious means, one of which may .with its fulcrum and extending forwardly to be operated by be a' rod 22 secured tothe latch coincident to the end of the carin.conven1ent position crank 22', Obviously, .various other devlces" may be rovided for thus manipulatin -the latch. ormally, thelatch lroeksthe va ve in open position and it so remains when thecars are uncoupled, so-

y lthat the brakes areset instantly' upon 'the t uncouplingv of the cars or if the train pi e or the cou -ling becomes broken, the bra e may be .ma einefectiveby manipulating the j latch'a-nd thus permitting the valve to close,

its when the uncoupled car's are to be shifted, etc.4 j 1-claim:

. 1. .The vcombination of opposing tubular y coupling heads having registeringend openflingue, interlocking projections on the heads `locking position.

guiding and holding them in register, a rod mova'b e longitudinally of the exterior of each head and ada ted to be engaged and `moved rearwardly y a projection yon the other head, and a self-closing valve for the headv connected to and opened'by the rearward movement of the rod.

.2. The combination of opposing tubular coupling heads having registering end openings, interlockin projections on the heads 'guidin and hol ing them in register,a.rod

movab e "longitudinally of each head with the forward extremity ofthe rod carrying a socket to receive the extremity of a p ro)ec' tion on the other head, and a self-closin valve for the head connected to the rod an opened by the 4backward movement thereof.

`3. The combination of opposing tubular' .coupling -heads having registeringrend openmgs, interlocking projections on the heads guiding-and holding them in register, a' rod b e longitudinally of each head, said.

mova rod engaged and moved rearwardly by one of the .projections of the other head, a selfclosing valve 'for'the head opened by Vthe backwardmovement of the r'od, means actv'ing 'automatically to hold the valv'e open after it has been'opened by said rod; and a hand operated device for vreleasing the valve.

.41 In a train pipe couplin thelcombination of two pipes to be coup ed, a self-clos-V ing valve for each ipe, means actuated when the pipes are' rought together' for openm the valves, weighted latches uto matica y locking the'valves in open position 

